The wherewithal to continue

Monday, May 24, 2010

Last week's episode of V was extremely intense. Lost a couple (maybe? there's still hope for someone [I'll call him Kyle, because I don't want to spoil anything] and Samuel could go both ways...) characters, definitely gained at least two characters, and if a certain plot event is real, then something completely gamechanging just happened, beyond the obvious. Anna felt human emotion. Interesting, cause since human emotion is what the world and the Fifth Column is fighting for, it is also both the greatest weakness of humans and now that Anna seeks vengeance, the greatest weakness of the V. Some really interesting paradoxes in that one. Great show. Not sure that paradoxes is the right word.

Monday, March 1, 2010

So on my first listen of this album, I'm describing my reactions as it goes by. First track - Et Ducit Mundum Per Luce - about as spacey as it sounds like it'll be from the title. Kinda drags by but then the second track - The Flight of Apollo - hits way harder at first than any AVA song I've heard up to this point. With one of the more direct guitar riffs I've heard from AVA, it's an attention grabber, but still has the heavy synths and ambient sound of their earlier stuff. Third track - Young London - rolls around. Another guitar-heavy intro and so far, the whole album is seamless. Vocal rhythms are different from anything I've heard by AVA ever, reminiscent (not surprisingly) of blink-182. Ends with a flurry of drums... but wait! It's not over yet. Brief silence and then it returns with either keyboard/synth or guitar segue into the fourth track - Shove - . Still seamless, and this song is much more like AVA's earlier work. Sounds familiar. It began with a much softer guitar riff. "She said, 'Show me the world that's inside your head, tell me your secrets of life and death; your one regret, cause sometimes it comes with a shove, we fall in love.'" Synthy ending that's not really an ending again. I'm assuming it's going to be another segue into yet another seamless song. It was kinda seamless, but definite distinction between the two tracks. Fifth track - Epic Holiday - standard AVA to start with, Tom's vocals are definitely in the front seat of this song. "Let's start a riot! Nobody's right, nobody's wrong, life's just a game, it's just one epic holiday." Cool drum solo and then a rather generic guitar delay riff. Track six - Hallucinations - I've already heard this song, and I love it. Quite a long electronic intro, then a synth intro following that, at 0:50 guitar kicks in, at 1:15 the song really gets moving with a vocal line that has a rather different melody than most AVA songs, and a really catchy chorus after two verses "Do you believe in hallucinations? Any dream or its revelation?" Song structure goes verse-verse-chorus-bridge-nifty synth interlude with ambient vocals-chorus. Track seven - The Moon-Atomic (...Fragments and Fictions) - is slower than its previous neighbors, with blink-like melody. Another fake ending (or long outro, I can't really tell, cause one of the guys is doing a live web chat... :/ too much to focus on.) Eighth track - Clever Love - Another song with a melody that I feel like I've heard before. Had to pause so I can focus more on it later. Fades out to - Track nine - Soul Survivor (...2012) - quiet synth intro, with almost spoken vocals. Slow, but catchy and engaging. First "hey"s of the album, I'm not even going to try to transcribe them phonetically... okay, that was a lie, for now it's going "Yo-oh-oh-oh," but that's not what it was the first time, because that was a lot more "ya-ay-oh." Track ten - Letters to God, Part II - I don't know where one might find the first part, but it starts out with a rather fast guitar intro, then a very U2-esque riff. Pretty standard stuff for AVA. Enjoyable though. The final track - Some Origins of Fire - has rolled around, although I haven't decided if the time's dragged or raced by. Standard synth intro. Anyway. That's my first listen. Hope you enjoyed it. Please comment with suggestions, likes, dislikes, your own opinions, &c.

Monday, February 22, 2010

I'm sorry to all of you guys who actually pay attention... all what, maybe 3? I dunno, my mom suggested that I blog about music, and I thought it might be a good idea, so I'm just going to talk about some bands and why I do or do not like them. I'll still post poems from time to time as I write them though, that's just not going to compose the entirety of my blog.

To start off, I'm going to talk about two of my favorite bands: AFI and Bayside.

A Fire Inside is an amazing band, if only because of the immense distance they've come musically. They started out as raw, furious, simple hardcore punk, and have over the course of almost 20 years changed their guitarist and bassist, and developed their style to become a rather unique form of pop rock. Their lyrics have changed quite drastically, though for the most part are packed with meaning and depth.

Bayside is one of the more influential small underground pop punk/punk rock bands out there. In the words of their frontman, Anthony Raneri, they "take music seriously." Their lyrics are full of pain, almost to the point of despair at times, yet they never completely abandon a shred of hope that somehow, sometime, even though everything looks like it could never get better, life is worth fighting for. Their guitar, while not showy or melodramatic, can be very complicated, and although they don't shatter the mold, they are quietly very innovative.

Please comment, share dislikes, suggestions, hate mail (but no spam at all) and tell me what you think. And please check out the music I talk about, even if you decide you don't like it at all, just give it a couple minutes. Key songs by AFI are "A Single Second," "Totalimmortal," "3 1/2," "The Despair Factor," "God Called in Sick Today," "The Missing Frame," "End Transmission," and "This Time Imperfect." Some good ones by Bayside are "No One Understands," "I Can't Go On," "They're NOT Horses, They're Unicorns," "A Rite of Passage," "Guardrail," "A Synonym for Acquiesce," "Dear Tragedy," and "They Looked Like Strong Hands." A personal favorite of mine is "Red Head Vs. the Pretty Red Bracelet," but it's EXTREMELY rare. I have it though ;)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Sorry to anyone who's been reading this (as if anyone would waste their time here...), because I've for some reason been unable to think of anything to post... anyway. I read an essay by a person who pretends to be a rational, decent person. It's called "What is it Like to TeachBlack Students?" by Christopher Jackson. You should check it out. Just google it. Or to make it easier, here's the link: http://martynemko.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-teacher-speaks-out-what-is-it.html. Do it. Use those 10-20 minutes of your life. Anyway, I haven't been feeling great lately, and a few comments might be nice, just to know someone's reading this, and I'm not just talking to myself. Message me on facebook or myspace or any other way you can if you have any problems commenting, because I really do want to get my blog's comments and stuff working.

The chaos of fragments and shards on the floor?As I turn and walk away I cannot stop the flood of tears,

Or the trickle of blood, or cease looking back, staring

Over my shoulder, as it liquifies, pools, and with

Ripples forms a delicate blossom on the floor, haunting

With its beauty, a reminder of what could have been

so wonderful.

Laughter (an experiment)--29/6/2009

Why does he laugh when his heart is leaden?

Maybe he tries to fool himself into thinking

That he's fine, that everything is just dandy.

Sometimes it can hide the feeling of despair,

And it can fool those who aren't interested

Into believing that everything is just dandy.

I on 1/7/2009

I don't know what's dragging me on,

I can't tell if it is kind or cruel to do so.

I had a purpose once, but now it's gone;

Abandoned me, so now my arms no longer know

Effort, my knees can no longer support

Me with their willpower stripped away.

My heart continues to beat as my last resort

Compels it, my music a bellows supplying breaths in rhythm.

I've written a few of these poems, but I'm not sure if I can post these... but basically they describe how I feel on the specified date, and if I can't complete the poem I never go back. No editing, or anything like that...

Sunday, June 28, 2009

I wanted to write a poem about how I want to tear my eyes out and grind slat into the sockets, and scream until my lungs explode and my throat bleeds, but I can't really cause I don't have time... This evening was rather excruciating. Oh, and the scream is more like a primal bellow/roar than a chick in a horror movie who's just seen a zombie or some ugly green girl crawling out of a TV.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sooo... just thought that in the wake of the death of such an influential and controversial public figure, I'd voice my comments. I don't particularly like Michael Jackson, but I do love a couple of his songs, and I'm generally sorry he's dead. I really wish that people would stop being so fucking insensitive and generally assholes...

About Me

I'm a strange person. If you spend more than a second with me you'll probably figure this out. I love music especially AFI and Bayside and a few other bands. I love this girl named Kimberley Decker. She's pretty much the most amazing person I've ever met. I haven't decided what to do with my life, but having a band is kinda plan A at the moment... along with being a writer. I go to school at Valencia Community College and it's pretty decent I guess. We should hang out sometime :)